LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE RECOEDS OF A JOURNEY. 



THE 



Records of a Journey. 



a prologue. 



^' 



By D. W. church. 



There are -two parties to every book: 

The Avriter and the reader. 

I have on)}' aimed to do my part. 



author's edition. 



!> COPYRIGHT- ^^^ 

JUN 5 1881, 



GREENFIELD, IOWA: 

THE BERLIN CAREY CO. 

3Pul)lfs!)ers. 



76 la'?^ 



Copyright, 1888, 
By D. W. Church. 



All rights reserved. 



Hnibfrsitj press: 
John "Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 



New occasions teach new duties ; 

Time makes ancient good uncouth ; 
They must upward still and onward 

Who would keep abreast of truth ; 
Lo! before us gleam her camp-fires: 

We ourselves must pilgrims be. 
Launch our Mayflower, and steer boldly 

Through the desperate winter-sea, 
Nor attempt the future's portal 

With the past's blood-rusted key. 



Lowell. 



Yet I doubt not thro' the ages one increasing purpose 

runs, 
And the thoughts of men are widen'd with the process 

of the suns. 

Tennyson. 



We have felt and believed; 
We shall see and hioio. 



TO THE READER, 



I give you this as a tokeyi of my love, 

For I may not always speak in such pleasant 

language — 
There are things that must needs he said 
That can not he spoken in so soft a tongue. 



INTRODUCTION. 



NOT long since I received a communication 
from an unknown correspondent, 
The contents of which, considering the business 

that I was engaged in, 
Struck me as somewhat peculiar. 

But as it had no signature, 
I disposed of it as I disposed of all similar com- 
munications. 
By casting it into the waste-basket. 



In a few days, however, I received another letter 

in the same handwriting. 
Which was even more surprising than the 

first. 

But as I had made it a rule to pay no attention 

to anonymous communications, 
I treated it in the same manner that I did the 

other. 

1 



2 INTRODUCTION. 

But being away from home a few days there- 
after, 

I was surprised to find not only one but sev- 
eral of these communications awaiting my 
return. 

These I read over carefully, as I had the former 
ones; 

But they only served to increase my astonish- 
ment. 



I thereupon resolved not only to preserve them, 
But all others that I should thereafter receive 
from the same correspondent. 



And this I carefully did. 



For a time these communications continued to 

increase in number ; 
But finally they began to drop off ; 

And after a while ceased altogether. 



Where they came from, however, for a long 
time remained a mystery to me. 

And this I bothered my head over more than 
once. 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

But what puzzled me even more, 

Was what object the author had in sending 
them to me ; 

For they were written upon a subject that I 
was not conscious that I had any partic- 
ular interest in. 



In the mean time, however, I had been reading 

them as they came, 
And by the time they had quit coming I had 

them pretty well by heart. 

And therefrom I gathered the following story. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 



1. 

TDY the provisions of his father's will, 
^ There was left the author a large estate 
To be held by him in common with his brothers 
and sisters. 

But in lieu thereof, 

Upon arriving at the proper age for receiving 
their distributions, 

The executors turned over to them a lot of per- 
sonal property, 

And took their receipts therefor 

In full of all demands. 

2. 

How the children came to be treated so unjustly 

does not appear ; 
For there is nothing to justify the suspicion, 
That the executors either kept possession of the 

property, 
Or sold it and pocketed the proceeds. 



6 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

3. 

After having arrived at more mature years, 

however, 
The author tells us that his suspicions became 

aroused as to the true state of the case ; 
And that he at once made up his mind that if 

his father had left him anything worth 

while, 
He was going to have it. 

4. 

That with this view he made a careful examina- 
tion of the articles that he had received, 

And found among them a number of old pict- 
ures. 

But sure enough, (as one of his brothers re- 
marked) 

What are a few old pictures, 

To a house full of starving children, 

That don't know where the next morsel is to 
come from! 

5. 

That being thus confirmed in his suspicions he 
immediately set about making further in- 
quiry; 

And that for this purpose he called upon some 
of the older children. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 7 

But they appear to have been as ignorant of the 
true state of the case as himself 

About all that he could learn from them was 
that they had heard some such rumor. 

But they seem to have considered it so un- 
likely as to have paid but little attention 
to it. 

6. 

That not being satisfied with this he pushed his 

investigations farther ; 
And finally ran across one of the parties that 

had been spreading the report. 

Who not only confirmed its truthfulness, 
But offered to conduct him to his estate. 

A proposition which he gladly accepted. 



7. 

Accordingly, after making such preparations as 

his guide suggested, 
They set out upon their journey. 
Before going far, however, the path they took 

became an exceedingly narrow one, 
And they had to proceed along in single file. 



8 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. * 

8. 

Here the author tells us that he noticed that his 

guide carried a pair of crutches under his 

arms; 
But that he thought nothing of this at the 

time; 
And that in all probability he would never have 

mentioned it, 
Had it not been for what happened afterwards, 

9. 

That a little farther on the path became so over- 
grown with underbrush 

That he had to put his hands over his eyes. 

But that after proceeding for a while in this 
manner 

He concluded that he had better look around to 
see where he was drifting to. 

When to his surprise he found that he had wan- 
dered far out of the path. 

10. 

That his first impression was that he had sepa- 
rated himself from his companion ; 

But that upon second thought he remembered 
that he had never been out of the sound of 
his voice. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 9 

And that upon looking ahead he found that he 
was but a few feet away. 

11. 

That he thereupon suggested that they had 
better be getting into the road ; 

And upon his guide assuring him that he had 
never been out of it, 

Began to upbraid him for not taking him some 
other way. 

12. 

To which his guide answered that there was 

none other ; 
Or perhaps that there was none better. 

And our traveller, in reply thereto, 

Instead of suggesting (what would have left no 

room for argument) 
That it badly needed cleaning out ; 
Said that if that was the best he pitied the worst, 

Or something like that. 

13. 

In answer to which the guide told him 

That he had better be good. 

Or he would go to the bad place ; 

Or something of that kind. 



10 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

14. 

To which, it seems, our traveller replied : 

" You tell me I 'd better be good, 
Or I '11 go to hell ! 

" I tell thee that is a very coward's gospel. 

^' You offer me heaven as a matter of prudence — 
A mere question of climate and company." 

15. 
Two wrongs never made one right ; 

And it appears that the guide, seeing his mis- 
take, 
Suggested that they had better be going. 

To which our traveller readily assented. 
And they began to move forward. 

16. 
How long they travelled the author does not 

tell us ; 
But it must have been for some time ; 

For he is load in his praises of his guide's power 
of endurance. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 11 

And I judge that he himself was pretty well 
tired out. 

17. 

But it makes no difference; 
For they finally found themselves back to where 
they started from. 

18. 

Whether the author discovered this the first 
time they came around is not certain ; 

But certain it is that they came around more 
than once. 

19. 

Let it not be inferred therefrom, however, that 
I think it at all likely that he went around 
just to keep agoing; 

For he appears to have had as delicate an ap- 
preciation of the advantages of going some- 
where as any of us. 

20. 

It is possible, as I have suggested, that they had 

gone around more than once 
Before he discovered that they were going 

around at all. 



12 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. * 

And then habit ! 

We can never count upon the force of that ! 

21. 

And aside from this, it is one thing to know 

that we are going wrong, 
And another thing to know how to go right ; 

And however easily our traveller may have 
succeeded in satisfying himself as to the 
former, 

It is not to be expected that he could so easily 
satisfy himself as to the latter. 

And in the mean time there was this advantage 
in keeping agoing. 

That it afforded a better opportunity for obser- 
vation. 

22. 

And our traveller was not without curiosity. 
He saw that they were going nowhere, 
And wanted to know why. 

23. 

And judging that motion of this kind could not 
be so long kept up without artificial means. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 13 



He jumped to the conclusion that the walking- 
sticks had something to do with it. 



24. 

And for the purpose of satisfying himself upon 
this point he appears to have tried them. 

But he found them either too long, or too short j 

He does n't say which. 



25. 

It is not to be supposed that all of this took 
place without any talk between them ; 

Indeed, to judge from these records they did but 
little else. 



26. 

Among other things the guide kept insisting that 
they should keep close together. 

Just what grounds he had for complaint does 

not appear; 
But I strongly suspect that there were times 

when our traveller sat still until he came 

around. 



14 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. * 

27. 

But he kept continually insisting that the author 
should keep right at his heels ; 

And finally provoked him into saying, or plead- 
ing rather : 

^•If you - will think a little, we are not far 

apart, — 
Not so far apart that you need burn me at the 

stake, 
Or persecute me with everlasting arguments." 

28. 

It is not to be expected that a thing of this 

kind would last long; 
And it probably would n't have lasted as long 

as it did if the author had had any other 

company. 

29. 

As it was, it appears that the guide finally got 
to arguing against the palpable facts of the 
case ; 

Insisting, as it seems, that if they kept on they 
would finally get there. 

30. 
To which the author replied : 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 15 

"You say it is thus by reason, 
I would know how it is by sight. 

"You do not trust your eye, 

And I do not care to fall into the ditch. 

" You walk with crutches, 

But I find they do not suit my arms." 

31. 

" I walk by sight," he said, 
" And not by faith ; 

*' Finally w^e must all walk by that, 
Or all walk into the ditch. 

"If you can not see, lose no time in getting your 
hand into the hand of one who can." 

• 32. 

These were the last w^ords that passed between 
them. 

It appears that somehow our traveller caught 

his bearing. 
And got into the open country. 

What became of the guide he does not state. 
And for all I know he is still in the woods. 



16 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. • 

33. 

To those of us, however, who are disposed to 

take this view of the matter, 
The question will no doubt arise, 
How long will he stay there ? 

But however interesting the discussion of this 

question might be in its proper place. 
It does not concern us here : 

We are simply to follow the fortunes of our 
traveller. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 17 



IT. 



34. 

HAYING got out of the woods, the author 
spent the next few clays in looking at 
the country ; 
Which appears to have been of boundless extent. 

"Finally," he exclaimed, "all things are one 

thing ; 
And we speak of two things only for the sake 

of language. 

" Division is merely logical ; 

And all analysis bears our infirmities. 

" Not analysis," he continued, " but synthesis ; 
Not ability, but adaptability. 

" Herein lies the measure of all size. 
And the condition of all expression. 

" From this standing-place we may move the 
world." 

2 



18 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

35. 
And having thus assured himself of his dis- 
covery, he again set forward ; 

And for a while we hear but little of him. 

Learning, however, that he took his course by 

the stars ; 
Of the certainty of which he seems to have been 

in doubt, — 

" Think you the skies," he said, " are reall}^ 

such ? 
Know you not that they are such by gift alone ? 

" Such in spirit only ? " — 

And hence he wandered a good deal. 

36. 
" All riddles," he said, " are of our own making ; 
And we have two ways of avoiding difficulties. 

^^ We may ask no questions ; 
Or we may answer all questions. 

" What we leave unquestioned we are satisfied 

with ; 
We inquire, as we live, at our peril. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 19 

" What we leave not unanswered we may not 

blame ; 
We have no grievance until we face a difficulty. 

" Thou art the only divisor ! " he exclaimed ; 
" Nothing is apart if thou art not ! 

" Hitch on your cart, 

And the universe will be complete." 

37. 

Where he got his meals during this time is not 

certain ; 
But certain it is that he slept out at night. 

In this, however, he had no one to blame but 

himself; 
For he tells us that the doors of the poorhouse 

were always open for him. 

38. 

Why he refused the shelter that was thus pro- 
vided, he does not state ; 

But it ceftainly could n't have been from any 
false notion of pride that he had ; 

For he had been rambling about too long for 
that. 



20 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

39. 

It is true he tells us that the inhabitants of the 
country in which he now found himself 
were engaged in a civil war ; 

(And not very civil either, from the glimpse we 
get of one of their battles.) 

And of course under these circumstances institu- 
tions of this kind would not be in as good 
condition as in times of peace. 

But persons in his situation don't usually stand 
long upon such questions as that. 

40. 

The reader will no doubt ask why he did n't take 
off his coat and go to work. 

The trouble was that there was nothing to pay. 

It is true, as is usual in such cases, 

That if he had been of mind to take it, 

There was plenty of paper money in the country. 

But he appears to have looked upon this with a 
good deal of suspicion. 

And it isn't likely that it would have brought 
anything but bread and butter. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 21 

41. 

But even with these difficulties there would 
appear to have been one course left open 
to him, 

Which was to have enlisted upon one side or 
the other. 

But when he came to inquire what they were 

fighting about, 
He soon became convinced that both parties 

were laboring under a mistake. 

And he thereupon sought to pass through the 
lines. 

But he found this much easier said than done. 

For wdiile the parties were at swords-points upon 

everything else, 
It seems that they had mutually agreed that 

whoever attempted anything of that kind 

was worthy of destruction. 

42. 

Being thus hemmed in, the author now tried to 
make peace, by pointing out to the parties 
the mistake of their position ; 

But he soon saw that he would have to make 
clear to them the correctness of his own. 



22 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

And this would require a good deal of reading. 
Which he set himself to doing. 

And in order to support himself while thus em- 
ployed, he had to perform the most menial 
servitude ; 

Which, together with the exposure that he un- 
derwent while doing so, put him to bed. 



43. 

The circumstances of this, as near as I can 

gather. 
Were about as follows : — 

Hearing that there was going to be a wedding 

in the neighborhood. 
He engaged himself to fit up the house ; 

And what will strike the reader as somewhat 

remarkable, 
He had to do his work in the dark ; 

Or at least with very poor light. 

" We prepare," he said, " by taper candles, and 
at the back door ; 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 23 

" But the wedding feast shall take place under 
electric lights, and in the best room." 

For which, let us not be too ready to blame the 
people with whom he was stopping ; 

For they seem to have furnished him with the 
best light they had. 

As to electricity, it appears that he was just 
laying the wires. 

44. 

At all events he might have fallen into worse 

hands ; 
For as soon as he was taken sick they sent to a 

neighboring hospital for a physician. 

But before he could get there the author was 



''No matter," he exclaimed, "how nobly you 

may have wrought ; 
No matter how perfect your act may be ; 

" I may not value it overmuch, 

" By this you express to me your adoration ; 
And only make me nobly dissatisfied. 



24 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

" I too must now adore. 

" I may not long abide by wonder ; 
I may not long stand by to admire. 

" I dare not trust your assurance of security. 

'^ You tell me the earth is firm, 
And ripe for my use ; 

" But I turn away, 

For I know it is not my abiding-place. 

" Have I not a hoiiie among the stars, 
As w^ell as here ? 

" Do I not walk on ether, 
As well as earth ? " 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 25 



III. 

45. 

AND now came the greatest trial that our 
traveller had yet been compelled to 
undergo. 

As soon as the doctors came, (for there appears 
to have been more than one of them) 

They lost no time in informing him that he was 
a very sick man. 

But as he seems to have realized this before 

they came, 
It does not appear to have affected him much 

one way or another. 



46. 

Nor does he seem to have paid much attention 
to their diagnosis of the complaint. 

It was when they came to administer the medi- 
cine that the difficulty occurred. 



26 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

47. 
It appears that they were all agreed that there 
was but one remedy known to the profession 
That would reach the case. 

And while they stood ready to give it, 
And our friend stood ready to take it, 
It seems that for the life of them they could n't 
get it down his throat. 

48. 
Just what the medicine was he does not state ; 

But even if he did, the non-professional reader 
would no doubt have trouble in determin- 
ing where the difficulty lay. 

And in any event the attending physicians are 
usually the best judges of a thing of this 
kind. 

And that they thought that the difficulty lay 
with the patient is evident from the fact 

That after resorting to all other means they 
attempted to scare him into it. 

49. 
Whether their judgment was based upon an ex- 
amination of the particular case I do not 
know : 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 27 

And if not, it would of course be worth much 
less. 

For no doubt the capacity of people differs in 

this regard. 
Much depends upon the age and intelligence of 

the patient. 

And besides there is once in a while a medicine 
that the very thought of is enough to make 
one sick. 

I myself have seen stuff that I would as soon 
die as take. 



60. 
But from whatever cause, whenever a physician 

is unable to get his patient to take his 

medicine. 
There is nothing left for him but to get up and 

go. 

This remark of course would not apply to those 

who depend upon outward applications — 
Such as rubbing or laying on of hands. 

But our friend's physicians appear to have been 

of the regular school; 
At least that is what they did. 



28 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. • 

51. 

But it appears that notwithstanding, our friend 
began to recover. 

And in a few days he was talking quite rationally. 

^^What a delusion," he said, "is that of the 

nostrum-monger ! 
His is the splendid dream 
That 'tis no matter what sins we may commit 
If we '11 only come to him for pardon. 

" He sees that there 's something very like that 

in creation ; 
And is haunted with the idea that he has it 

bottled in phials, 
And stored away in his travelling-bags. 

'' 'Tis like the delusion of the insane, — 

" That they control the clouds ! 

" And the storm ! " 

52. 

And he appears to have determined, then and 
there, that if he ever got well he would 
establish a school of medicine, 

The prescriptions of which it would be possible 
to take. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 29 

" We reject the past," he said, ^'as a poor rep- 
resentation of what we are worth. 
And appeal to the future for our justification. 

" What has been is a matter of memory ; 

" What is to be — " 

But being unable to complete the sentence, he 
changed its form. 

" What has been," he said, " is the source of our 
title. 

" What is to be is the possession of our estate. 
'^ What has been is the old creation ; 
" What is to be is a new creation." 



53. 

But how can this reasonably be ? — 
Of this he must needs assure himself. 

And he goes on : — 

"• We conspire with what has been, 
To render what will be." 



30 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. • 

And in his frenzy he sees it all : — 

" Creation is at its old work of creating ; 
And we shall now rejoice in a new heaven and 
a new earth." 

54. 
In such an event the question naturally arises, 
What would become of the old-school physicians? 

To those of us, however, who have suffered from 
their astringent medications, 

This question will have little weight in deter- 
mining what we would wish to have brought 
about. 

A generation of practitioners soon pass away. 

And the succeeding one would only laugh at 
their folly. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 31 



IV. 



55. 
TTAVING got so that he could be about, 
■■-J- Our traveller made an appointment with 

the contending parties, 
For the purpose of presenting to them the re- 
sults of his investio-ation. 



And was of course called upon to make a speech. 

Which it appears that he had written out 
beforehand. 

But when he came to face his audience 
He threw his sheets to the wind. 

" My written pages," he said, " no longer meet 
my expectations ; 

" And I shall have no- assurance unless I meet 
your approval. 

" But if you are good-natured I shall have no 
difficulty. 



32 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. ^ 

" If I say as you thought, you will be pleased that 
I am as you are. 

^' If I say better than you thought, you will be 
pleased that I am other than you are. 

"By the one, I assure you that you are as you 
should be. 

" By the other, that I am as you could be. 

"The one is the enjoyment of a passing relation. 

" The other is the assurance of a lasting obli- 
gation." 

56. 

If, as I suspect, the author sought by this to 
gain the sympathy of his audience, 

He did not fiil in the accomplishment of his 
design. 

For he received no end of propositions from 

persons 
Desiring him to share their tents. 

None of which does he appear to have been in 
the least inclined to accept. 

But determined rather to finish his speech. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 33 

•57. 
'^1 am disappointed," he said, "of time and 
space. 

" I had an appointment to meet you here to- 
night ; 

" And here we are ; 

" And yet we are not together. 

" I came these weary miles ; 

"And insist on profit. 

" I have not seen a living soul since yesterday ; 

" And am fast forgetting who I am. 

" My request is simple : 

" Eecognize me 

" That I may know myself until to-morrow. 

" Do this 

" And you may have my lands and goods -, 

" For you have made me nobly mad ; 
3 



34 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. • 

'' And I shall be satisfied with nothing less than 
knowing who you are. 

'• And this I may not do 

" But by my highest deed ; 

" I must love you." 

58. 

Seeing the irrelevancy of which, some one re- 
marked 
That love was blind. 

To which he replied : 

" Love is n't blind ; 

It only makes the best of everything." 



59. 
But notwithstanding it put him to thinking. 

" Ideality," he said, " may walk alone ; 

But love is helpless without an arm to lean on. 

" Ideality is the capacity for worship ; 
Love is homage at the foot of the throne." 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 35 

60. 
After which he went on with his speech. 



a y(Q recognize each other, 
And are doubled : 



" I am richer by what you are, 
And vou are richer by what I am." 



61. 
And as if doubtful of the el^ect of this : 

" The flow of friendship and good-will between 
us is perennial. 

^'You do not like neighbor A— in M — , 

^^But meet him in N — , 

"" Among strangers to you both, 

'^ And the spell is broken. 

" Just a little shifting, 

" Just a little changing of the point of view. 



" And we are together. 



36 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

" The hours are alchemists, 

" And change our dross into gold. 

'^ Ill-will 

^' Is but good-will 

" In a tangle." 

62. 
Which is about the same thing as saying : 

If you do not love me, 
You love me. 

63. 
But what will the reader think of this? 

" 'T is our affair to love others, 
*T is their affair to love us. 

" Love waits on service, 
It goes with tokens. 

"If you would love me 
Do something for me. 

" Two never loved. 

Without something passed between them." 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 37 

64. 

As long as he was sailing at this altitude, 
He appears to have met with no further obstruc- 
tion. 

But when he came around to the main question, 

And began to talk of what they were fighting 
about, 

He got himself into a hornet's nest. 

Or into two of them for that matter. 

For it will be remembered that he had repre- 
sentatives of both factions before him ; 

And not being able to agree with either of them, 
He had them both on his hands at once. 



65. 
And when it is remembered that his proposition 

involved nothing less than the cessation of 

hostilities. 
We must conclude that it was a very general 

one ; 

And afforded ample opportunity for reply. 



38 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

Reply that might range in weight all the way 
from the question, 

As to whether after all peace was desirable ; 

To the question of what would be done with 
the guns ! 

66. 

And you may be sure that his hearers did not 
fail to avail themselves of the opportunity 

Thus afforded them for taking part in the dis- 
cussion. 

What the merits of the arguments were 
We have no means of judging; 

For the author does not give them. 

But more than likely his hearers could have 
talked him to death. 

67. 
And no doubt would have done so 
Had he not put an end to the discussion by 
saying : 

" I cannot honor the man 

Who, taking me by the coat sleeve, 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 39 

Leads me into a back alley, 
And whispers into my ear, 
' I want to tell you the truth.' 

" The truth," he explained, " is the fact, 
Deprived of its succulence ; 
To be used like dried fruit — 
When fresh fruit is out of season." 



68. 
It is hardly to be expected that his opponents 

would care to argue any longer 
With one who had thus shown himself so clearly 

unreasonable. 

Why, that w^as the very thing they counted on. 

'Tis true, there was a difference of opinion 
between them as to who had it; 

But they would have had no difficulty in agree- 
ing 
That whichever it was, 

It w^asn't that. 

69. 
That whereas, while it was true that the article 
that they possessed 



40 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

Had for a number of years been exposed to the 
weather, 

And for that matter had not been unfrequently 
chewed upon, 

It was just as sweet as ever. 



70. 

But while the author was perhaps provoked into 

saying what he did, 
He evidently did n't take that view of the matter ; 

For in closing his speech he said : 

'' We are timid ; 

And remain where w^e were yesterday 

For fear we shall lose ourselves to-day. 

" We are not far-sighted ; 
And are fooled out of promises 
At the death-bed of the hours. 

" We are pledging our allegiance to the dying 

sovereign ; 
While the winners of life's prizes 
Are at the feet of the incomino; kino*. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 41 

" We have settled ourselves without looking 

about ; 
And have satisfied ourselves 
With an ever decreasing value. 

" We shall arise from our beds to-morrow be- 
lieving we have found it all out ; 
And should a seer tell us other 
W^e shall refer him to our book of chronicles." 



71. 

Here there was so much confusion that the re- 
porter failed to catch the next sentence ; 

Or rather to catch it as it was probably spoken. 

He reports it : 

" We so love the past, 

That we spend our time with requiems to the 
dead." 

But I doubt if these were the exact words. 

72. 

Just where the meeting was held it does not 

appear ; 
But it was probably pretty well to the front ; 



42 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

For in speaking of his experience about this 
time he afterwards writes : 

"There are those who copy from a note-book, 

" And call that their experience, 

" Who never had an experience in their lives. 

'' They are mere war-correspondents — 

" At a safe distance from shot and shell ! " 

But this was evidently no fault of his hearers^ 

For it appears that they advised him to seek a 
place of safety. 

73. 

This must have happened after the meeting ; 

And there is some reason to believe that he was 
behind intrenchments ; 

For he still continued to argue. 

"Understanding," he said, "advises us to move 

from here. 
Or we 11 get hurt ; 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 43 

'' Reason to stay here 
If we get hurt. 

" Understandmg is the strength of our fortifi- 
cations ; 
Reason is the valor of our soldiers." 



74. 
And they asked how that came. 

" Understanding," he said, " comes by diligence ; 
Reason by consecration. 

"Reason," he said, "is of gift; 
Understanding is of purchase. 

" Reason sees ; 
Understanding hears tell of. 

"Understanding is the condition of ability ; 
Reason is the condition of character. 

" Understanding builds bridges of uncertain 

safety ; 
Reason has wrings, and laughs at the floods. 

" Understanding bears our infirmities ; 
Reason is a child of the skies." 



44 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

75. 

And it appears that some one finally told him 
that he was n't quite right. 

To which he replied : 

" You say I am not quite right. 
Pick up the spade ! 

" Now what color is the earth ? " 
"Black!" 

" Hand it to me ! 

You have only been digging the surface ! 

" Don't you see 't is the color of gold ! " 

76. 
But whether he w^as in the field or not, 
He must have witnessed one of their battles ; 

(Although there is no evidence that he took any 
part in it) 

For what but the sight of something like that 
could have provoked him into saying any- 
thing like the following: 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 45 

" Ohj my foolish brothers," he exclaimed, 
"I cannot become interested in 3-011 
Except to m^ge you to be wise. 

" You lack variety. 

And having done one of you, 

1 am done with all of you." 



77. 

When we next catch sight of our traveller he is 
in the neighborhood of his father's estate. 

How he made his escape, and how long he wan- 
dered before getting there, he does not tell 
us. 

But he probably got away while the parties 
were fighting. 



46 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 



78. 

TIJ'INDING himself in the right neighborhood, 
^ The author first sought out one of his 
father's executors, 

And demanded of him an inventory of his estate. 

This, after considerable delay, he succeeded in 
obtaining. 

79. 

In the mean time, however, he appears to have 

satisfied himself from other sources 
As to the extent of his possessions ; 

For when he at last succeeded in getting it, he 

rejected it 
As a wholly inadequate representation of his 

w^ealth. 

'' I refuse your estimates," he exclaimed ; 
'' And reject your schedule as a poor represen- 
tation of what I am worth. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 47 

" Your inventory is only of appurtenances ; 
And my inheritance is a noble domain. 

" You have listed only my conditional estate ; 
And omitted from your schedule my titles in fee. 

" I scorn your inventory of my wealth ; 

" And shall use your listed trifles for my ser- 
vants." 

80. 

But it seems that, notwithstanding, the executors 
were not disposed to allow any such claims. 

And that seeing no other way out of it, the au- 
thor made up his mind to go to law. 

With this view he called upon an attorney, 
(An incompetent fellow as it afterwards ap- 
pears) 

And laid the case before him. 
He began by saying : 

'^ We have received our distribution without 

question ; 
And our fairest inheritance has been withheld 

from our use." 



48 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

And the lawyer said : 

"Is that so?" 

But the author paid no attention to the remark, 
and went on : 

" We were bequeathed the domain of reason ; 
And have received the field of knowledg^e." 



'o 



And the lawyer rubbed his hands, 
Or perhaps scratched his head ; 

x\nd finally said that he must have a more par- 
ticular description. 

But our friend was unable to go into any further 
details. 

81. 

But it appears that, notwithstanding, the lawyer 
advised him to commence suit. 

Which he accordingly did. 

And after the filing of the original petition, (as 
is generally the case where a matter of this 
kind is stirred up) 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 49 

A number of parties put in an appearance, 
claiming some interest or other in the 
property ; 

And thereupon his attorney advised the com- 
mencement of suits right and left. 



82. 
It is not to be expected that indiscriminate pro- 
ceedings of this kind would result in any- 
thing satisfactory ; 

And accordingly we find our friend lamenting the 
loss of money thereby incurred. 

He says: (speaking, as I suppose, after the man- 
ner of large proprietors, or those who take 
themselves to be such) 

" We bring every asserter into chancery ; 
And waste our means in litigation with strangers 
to our title." 

83. 
But even supposing that the defendants had only 

color of title to the property, 
His attorney was perhaps justified in bringing 
them into court. 

4 



50 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

For where there is any question at all of this 
kind it is well enough to have a final de- 
cree. 

And I have no doubt but that his subsequent 
proceedings were a great deal more satis- 
factory 

Than if nothing of the kind had ever been en- 
tered. 

And if such was the case, he certainly had but 
little grounds for complaint. 

84. 
But the author appears to have had a great 

aversion to going into court, 
And it seems that he had made up his mind 

that he w^ould do anything rather than 

have any further litigation. 

Accordingly he instructed his attorney to buy up 
quitclaims from everybody that came along. 

But when the lawyer began to draw on him for 

the amount, 
He soon concluded that there was something 

worse than a lawsuit. 

" We question our right/' he wrote ; 

" And buy up all claimants to our possessions 

Before we examine our abstract." 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 51 

85. 
The reader will no doubt suggest that there was 
nothing in this wherein the attorney was to 
blame. 

But let me ask, what is a lawyer for if it isn't 
to keep his client out of trouble ? 

But it is evident that he was pretty headstrong 
himself, 

And not much disposed to listen to reason. 

86. 
But this appears to have taught him a lesson. 

For not long afterwards, some one — a land 

agent perhaps — 
Having proposed that if he would convey the 

property to him he would see that he got 

possession, 

Our friend verj^ properly asked what assurance 
he would have that he would do any such 
thing. 

To which, whoever it was (for there is some in- 
dications that it was a groceryman) replied 
that he was perfectly honest ; 



52 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY, 

And referred to a standing advertisement that 
he had in the newspapers to that effect. 

At least that is the way I take it from the au- 
thor s rejoinder : 

87. 
^'We put our kingly words," he said, " to menial 

service ; 
And fill the royal office 
With the language of the streets. 

" You call for mv alleo-iance, 
And tell me you are honest, 
And leave me in doubt who you are. 

" I hesitate, 

Ask you to explain, 

Hear your explanation — 

And learn that you are not my rightful master. 

" You say you are honest : 

But have you not advertised that in the news- 
papers ? 
And already received your reward ? 

" Have we not bought our wares where you as- 
sured us they were the cheapest ? 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 53 

" We will gladly meet our obligations, 
But we do not care to be fooled out of our 
praises." 

88. 
This story has something very unreasonable 

about it; 
And were it not for the evident sincerity of the 

author, 
We would be justified in not believing it. 

For it is hard to suppose that a land agent 
would care to get himself mixed up in a 
transaction like that. 

89. 
But whether it is true or not, it is evident that 

his mind was beginning to run in that 

direction, 
For he presently takes himself to task after the 

following manner : 

" Your inheritance is fair to-day ; 
And this is the promise of all things ; 
But the accomplishment of nothing. 

" All now yet lies ahead ; 

And your birthright is the stake. 

No mess of pottage will pay for that. 



54 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

"• You now fight the battle of to-day, 
And of all days. 

" Your victory no^Y 
Shall be your inheritance 
Evermore. 

'' What you now win 
By your valor, 
You shall in no wise lose 
But by your neglect. 

^'Be royal 
To this hour 
By your effort ; 

'- And you shall be royal 

Evermore, 

^y your consent. 

'' The solution of this hour 
Shall be the solvent of all hours. 



" Life finally ceases to have a problem, 
And we become keepers of an estate. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 55 

" As the one thing needful, 

This trial of yourself is made ; 

And you shall not shrink, 

Nor shall you charge your failure to Providence. 



'• You say you fought well, 

And won not yesterday. 

Were you fairly tested yesterday ? 

Were you weighed in any true balance then ? 

" I cannot believe it. 

" If you failed. 

And could not have done other, 
Your commission was not to do that 
But quite other. 

" The foolishness of the outcome 

Was not Q-reater 

Than the foolishness of the trial. 

" That you have failed 
Is but another assurance 
That you are not forsaken. 

" How much time do you ask 
At your fool's errand ? 



66 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

" You were not interfered with 

Until you became a sight to gocls and men. 

" Had your foolish game, 

And all foolish games entered upon since the 

world began, 
Brought victory, 
What kind of a world would we now have, think 

you? 

" Bedlam were a better place than that." 



90. 

And the next we hear of our traveller he is 
walking about over his estate. 

And the reader will no doubt be anxious to 
know how he got there. 

It appears that he got help from somewhere ; 
And it would seem that he got it from abroad. 

" We become other than we were," he declares ; 

'' A hand is reached out to us ; 

And we have added to ourselves what it is. 

" We revalue ourselves ; 

And refuse to be taken at our old worth. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 57 

" Our' royal visitor makes us ashamed of our 

occupations ; 
And we hasten our ti'itles into the closet." 

It would seem from this he did n't get possession 

by a lawsuit ; 
And it was probably something like that that he 

put into the closet. 



68 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 



VL 



91. 

HAVING now got possession of his property 
it would be supposed that the author 
would see that it was properly cared for. 

But this appears to have been the one thing that 
he was the least disposed to do. 

For instead of getting a pruning-hook and going 

to work, 
He bought a lot of cheap wares, and w^ent to 

peddling them about over the country. 

92. 
On coming home from one of these excursions 

he incidentally learned 
That his servants had been passing themselves 

off as the proprietors of the estate. 

And upon his arrival he found the yard full of 

pedlers, 
And his domestics in possession of the best rooms 

in the house. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 59 

At least that is the way it looks from what he 
said when he got home : 

"My servants," he exclaimed, ''have been using 

my cards in their visits ; 
And I find there 's a doubt who I am. 

" They have been buying trifles in my name at 

the auction ; 
And have overrun me with dealers in cheap 

wares. 

"- 1 'm injured to the verge of madness — 
So long has folly been passing in my name 
That I begin to fear I am foolish." 

And growing more reflective : 

" We give our servants the privilege of the 

house ; 
And confine ourselves to the kitchen. 

'^ We set our domestics at the first table ; 

And take our diet of what they see fit to leave." 

93. 
It will be observed that while our traveller has 

not lost his old habit of getting into trouble, 
He still retains his old habit of reflecting 

upon it. 



60 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

Indeed, now that he had got to himself, he ap- 
pears to have had more trouble than ever. 

What our friend seems to have lacked, was not 
insight, but resolution. 

A friend of mine, to whom I was relating this 

occurrence. 
Said that he would have kicked the whole outfit 

out of the house. 

But I doubt whether he would or not ; 

For very likely some of them were old servants 

That had been in the family a good while. 



94. 
And besides they were not entirely to blame. 

For in addition to leaving them in the posses- 
sion of the property. 

It appears that in his absence he himself denied 
that he was the proprietor. 

And confessed as much after he got home. 

" We deny ourselves," he said ; 

'^ And think to be recognized by others." 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 61 

95. 

This was doubtless done to get some small ad- 
vantage in a trade. 

But his servants don't seem to have taken it 
in that way. 

On the contrary they appear to have thought 
that it gave them full swing. 

96. 

But the reader will no doubt be less disposed to 

blame the author 
When I tell him that he gave very liberally to 

charitable purposes. 

Indeed, in this, as in much else, he appears to 
have gone to the greatest extreme. 

" We give too freely to others," he writes ; 

" Aud scant our household to the verge of want. 

'' We are misled by comparison ; 

And concede too much to number and size." 



97. 
If that was his fault ; 



62 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

m 

If he gave in proportion to the number that 
called upon him at any one time, 

(Especially if he took their size into considera- 
tion) 

Then probably others had a right to complain ; 

For such a course might tend to encourage an 

organization 
That would finally become the ruling power in 

the neighborhood. 

98. 

But whatever may be thought of the effect of a 
thing of this kind upon a community, 

It is evident that it could not long be practised 
by any one individual. 

And accordingly we soon find our friend's lamen- 
tations corresponding to one in greatly re- 
duced circumstances. 

" We have not the legal tender," he writes, 
" with which to pay our debts ; 

And try to meet our obligations with promissory 
notes." 

99. 

And failing in this, in order to keep up appear- 
ances, 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 63 

He appears to have been drawn into the com- 
mission of a crime ; 

A crime of no less magnitude than that of re- 
ceiving counterfeit money. 

The only question of doubt about it being 
whether he knew it was counterfeit at the 
time he received it ; 

That he knew it afterwards there can be no 
question. 

But I will give the reader his confession and let 
him judge for himself. 

'' We receive false coin," he said ; 
" And think to pass it to others." 

100. 
Of course there is room for construction here. 

And perhaps the most charitable view to take of 
the matter would be that he found it out 
afterwards. 

But it is just possible that he knew it was false, 
And that he received it intending to use it for 
charitable purposes. 



64 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

m 

101. 

It was certainly fortunate for our friend that he 
was not at this time permitted to mortgage 
his estate. 

Or Hke as not that would have gone. 

But he appears to have been prevented from 
this by the provisions of his father's will. 

Why so far did he carry this disposition of his 
that on one occasion, 

Having made a festival in honor of some distin- 
guished guests, 

And they happening not to appear at the time 
he was expecting them, 

He sent his servants into the highways with in- 
structions to invite everybody they met to 
come in and eat. 

Which they accordingly did. 

And after every thing had been eaten up in 

steps his company. 
And of course they had to go hungry. 

And the next day, after it is all over, he regrets 
it by saying : 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 65 

" We hasten our occasions ; 

And should our royal company fail to come at 

the appointed hour, 
We throw open our festal halls to the highways 

and hedges." 

102. 
But one thins; brino;s on another ; 

And it appears that either our traveller or some 
of his ancestors (more probably the latter) 

Had a play-house erected upon the estate, 

In which it was customary for the members of 
the household 'to take part in such per- 
formances 

As it was thought proper to represent. 

It also appears that it was the custom of the 
proprietor to take part therein ; 

(At least such appears to have been the habit of 
our friend.) 

But instead of confining these performances to 
the representation of legitimate plays, 

He suffered the stage to be given up to the 
presentation of questionable comedy. 

And what is worse he permitted himself to take 
part therein. 

5 



66 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

m 

And this, as was his custom, after it is all over, 
he regrets by saying : 

" We unfit ourselves for our leading part, 
By playing the fool in the after-piece." 

This it is true shows that he had another part. 



But then he had no business acting the fool. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 67 



I 



VII. 

103. 

T is now quite plain to be seen that had mat- 
ters continued in this way much longer, our 
friend would have been turned out of doors. 



For even the garden of paradise (and this had 
fallen far short of that) was held upon the 
condition that it be properly cared for. 

Nor is it possible to suppose that the author was 
at any time unaware of the danger of such 
a contingency. 

For having entered upon his estate with a lot of 
undisciplined servants, he must have known 
from the beginning that it would finally 
become a question of who should rule. 

And not only so but it is equally clear that 
during all of this time he could not have 
been unconscious that his authority was 
gradually slipping away from him. 



68 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

m 

And I think the following reflections show 
clearly enough that he w^as not wholly 
uninformed as to wdiere the difficulty lay. 

'' We are ideal," he said ; 
'' And rely upon ownership. 

" We make our brother our keeper; 
And spend our time in acquiring. 

" We play the child's game of forfeits ; 

And refuse our trifles the redemption of a kiss." 

104. 
And this last act of his, in which he saw him- 
self laughed at as a fool, must have con- 
vinced him that if he w^as to assume his 
rightful authority, it must be now or never. 

" The hours are sovereign," he said ; 
" And we are contentious citizens. 

" They take us unawares ; 
And we are not royal enough 
To so receive our guests. 

" We stammer. 

And excuse ourselves; 

And put an end to expectation. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 69 

" We cannot readily change our attitude ; 
And know but little of value. 

" We are unconscious ; 
And miss our occasions. 

a We go to prove our oxen ; 

And forego the wedding feast of the king." 



105. 

And the next morning he was up bright and 

early, looking after the hands at work. 

" This will be a beautiful day," he said ; 
"If you will only be beautiful to-day." 

But it appears that notwithstanding, they got 

into a quarrel before night. 
And it was all he could do to keep them from 

fighting. 

106. 

This he did by going among them and saying 
such thino;s as the followino; : 

" Our ill feeling towards others is no measure 
of what thei/ are w^orth. 



70 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

Our good feeling towards others is a sure meas- 
ure of what we are worth." 



107. 
This worked well enough as long as he was with 

them, 
But as soon as he was out of sight they were as 

bad as ever. 

And finally seeing no other way out of it, he 
set apart a day for thanksgiving and 
prayer. 

But he could n't get them to attend. 



108. 
And he thereupon came to the following reso- 
lution : 

" We have tried thanksgiving ; 
Let us now set apart a day in which each one 
shall attend to his own business, 

" And try that." 

And the next day he was on hand to see that it 
was enforced. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 71 

109. 

Waiving now all questions of the weather, he 

said : 
" Not the work you do, 

But the manner in which you do your work, 
Determines your worth or worthlessness. 

" The reaper in his field is as worthy as Webster 
in his reply to Hayne. 

" Not in what the nation produces," he said, 
" But in the producers of the nation. 
Does her grandeur lie." 

At which they expressed the utmost astonish- 
ment, 
And promised to be back the next day. 

110. 
But when the next day came they weren't there. 

And upon inquiry he found that they were at 

some of the neighbors'. 
And when they came home he asked them what 

they were there for. 

" What was there then and there,'' he said, " for 
your amusement, 



72 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

That may not be noiv and here for your enjoj- 
ment ? " 

And they told hhn. 

And he said : 

"Let US quit running after knights and ad- 
ventures • 

" And commence being knightly and adven- 
turous. 

" We are sentimental," he said, " but unro- 
mantic." 

111. 

An amusing incident occurred shortly after this 
that will serve to indicate the turn affairs 
now began to take, 

As well as the condition into which the estate 
had fallen. 

It appears that one day one of his servants sent 
to ask him how he should do thus and so. 

And the author sent him back word to do as he 
pleased. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 73 

And what will strike the reader as somewhat 
curious, it appears that he took it that he 
was to do what he pleased. 

And it seems that it pleased him to do nothing. 

Or what is worse, to get on a spree. 

Which he proceeded to do. 

And as w^as to be expected, it became contagious. 

And in this condition his servants to the number 
of some hundreds (this estimate is based 
upon the noise they made) gathered at his 
house that night. 

And thinking that they were proceeding by his 
authority (or w^hat is perhaps nearer the 
truth, not thinking at all) were about to 
throw him out of doors. 

Whereupon becoming alarmed as to his personal 
safety, he proceeded to read the riot act. 

112. 

" Wliat lue are to do^' he said, "is given us to do; 
Oar choice lies only in the ivaj it shall be done, 

" ^V^lat tve are to do is our bounden duty ; 
How tve are to do is our gracious privilege. 



74 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

" Who among you might neglect his own house- 
hold 
To do what I say ? 

^' Who among you might not ennoble his own 

household 
By doing as I say?'* 

And he told them to go back to work. 

Which as soon as they could recover from their 
astonishment, and get over their drunk, 
they proceeded to do. 

113. 
Appended to this act I lind the following note : 

*' We are fated here. 

" You may advise a foolish man wdiat to do, 
But he won't have sense enough to mind you. 

" You may advise a wise man what to do, 
But he '11 have too much sense to mind you." 

114. 

One would naturally suppose that a disturbance 
like this would have a very depressing effect 
upon the proprietor ; 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 75 

On the contrary, brushing aside any suggestion 
as to i\ 
remark : 



as to the disgrace of the affair with the 



" We blame ourselves overmuch, 

Because our servants are not free from scandal," 

He began to congratulate himself that they had 
learned obedience if nothing else. 



115. 

And from this on he appears to have kept him- 
self fully informed as to what was going on 
over the estate. 

" The thing you are now doing," he one day 

said, " properly done, 
Will lead by inevitable consequence to the 

highest thing you may properly do." 

116. 
And having finally got his servants off his hands 
he began to enjoy himself. 

" I remember when a child," he said, " how I 

used to gather, 
And put in drawers and boxes, the nuts that 

grew back of my father's farm. 



76 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

But what became of them after, I have lost all 
memory. 

*^ I — remember — nut-cracking. 

But — I — do — not — remember 

That they were not the gifts of the fairies. 

" We realize," he said, ^^ what we experience, 
Not what w^e accumulate. 

*^I remember only gathering and cracking nuts." 

117. 

And so finally all things w^ere righted^ 
As finally all things always are. 

And let us hope, 
Without either violence, 
Or the shedding of blood. 

And the author w^rites the following letter : 
(Presumably to his brothers and sisters.) 

" Let us go to the place of our starting ; 
And live in the home of our childhood. 

'^ Here I am, 

And am joyous ; 

And joyously meet and greet you. 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 77 

'' I was before, 

But now I am more ; 

And existence is fast multiplying. 

"' Yet the hours are not filled ; 

For there 's much to unlearn 

Of the teachings received on our journeys. 

" Our language now hinders our meeting; 
And we know but little in common. 

" Our journeys were not made together ; 
And to each other our language is foreign. 

" Let us drop this foreign assertion ; 
And speak the language of children.'* 

To which is added the following postscript 



^' We are now of princely lineage ; 
And have come into our kino^dom. 



" To do our princely duties 

Is the choicest of our princely rights. 

*^We may now travel the imperial highways 
with indifference ; 

" For they all lead to the Eternal City." 



78 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 



CONCLUSION. 

'T~^HOSE of us who have followed the author 

-^ in his travels 

(Now that he is settled in his estate) 
Will no doubt share his anxiety that he have 
his brothers and sisters with him. 

But however much such may be our desire, 
It is evident that for the present at least, 
They for the most part will have to remain 
where they are. 

For however sufficiently the author may have 

marked out the road 
For such as are accustomed to travelling ; 
It cannot be said that he has made it sufficiently 

clear 
For those who have never been out of their 

own neighborhood. 



Of course it is not to be supposed that, unac- 
companied as the author was, 



THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 79 

The course over which he travelled would be 
reduced to a beaten highway. 

Indeed, about all that could properly be ex- 
pected of him 

Was that he make his mark here and there as 
he went along, 

So that if he never got back his brothers and 
sisters might know what had become of 
him. 



And this will appear all the more reasonable 
when it is considered that so far from ex- 
pecting that any of them would undertake 
the journey alone, 

He appears to have fully made up his mind be- 
fore he started that if he ever lived to get 
through he would come back after them. 



But aside from this, as the reader has already 
seen. 

These records were prepared under the most 
unfavorable circumstances. 

For to say nothing of the author's health, 

There must have been times when he was with- 
out either ink or paper. 



80 THE RECORDS OF A JOURNEY. 

m 

An inconvenience that can be readily avoided 
the next time he goes over the ground. 



The reader will doubtless suggest that no such 
difficulty could have been in the way after 
he got possession of his property ; 

And that he might at least have given the 
children a fuller description of the place 
he wanted them to come to. 

But however satisfactory a thing of that kind 

may be 
As to the spot on which we may safely pitch 

our tents for the night; 
Nothing short of a view of the premises will 

usually satisfy us 
As to the place that is to become our permanent 

habitation. 



But we could n't have it all at one reading any- 
way, 

And in the mean time I promise you that if I 
get any further papers I will report. 



